


Regrowth, Reconnection

by AdsoOfMelk



Series: Moving Forward [2]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW Comics), Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Amy Ships It, Crying, F/M, Fluff, Hugs, Light Angst, Romance if you squint, Spoilers for Issue 27 of IDW Sonic, Take place after the metal virus arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:35:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23887561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdsoOfMelk/pseuds/AdsoOfMelk
Summary: Silver and Blaze cut the losses in their garden and have dinner with a friend.
Relationships: Blaze the Cat/Silver the Hedgehog
Series: Moving Forward [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1721704
Kudos: 41





	Regrowth, Reconnection

Silver got off his knees, stood up, and wiped his brow with his wrist. Initially he was worried that without Blaze’s help, he wouldn’t be able to properly care for them. Mercifully, they weren’t infected by the metal virus, but he was forced away from his garden for a long time while he helped Sonic and his friends fix that. As a result, there were many casualties.

“You were coming along so nicely...” he said to himself, inspecting a dying, juvenile purple geranium. “I hope you make it out of this okay. I’m sorry I was gone for so long.”

Silver felt extremely guilty, and worried about what Blaze would say when she visited next. She had spent so much of her free time here, helping him grow these previously healthy plants. He missed talking with her as they worked, and hoped that she wouldn’t abandon their garden after seeing how he let most of the plants die.

He watered the plants as he saw fit, removed the truly dead ones, and got ready to travel into town and buy more seeds or plants with what little money he had.

* * *

As Silver trudged through the outskirts of Central City, he mourned the loss of his green little friends. Realistically, many more plants would finish dying in the coming days. It pained him to remove any of them, meaning he most likely left many in the garden that had no chance of surviving. He wondered about where he should put each plant, carefully planning the new layout in his head. Should Blaze come by soon, he wanted there to be new plants for them to work on. It was the least he could do after mismanaging their project so spectacularly.

His heart stopped just as he reached the edge of the crater that marked his little garden. Blaze stood in the midst of the carnage, facing away from him and silently surveying the graveyard that was once lush with life. Silver felt a lump form in his throat. He silently put down the potted white hyacinth he had been carrying and took off his backpack, letting Blaze grieve silently.

She turned around and jumped at the sight of him, causing him to flinch in sympathy.

“Silver!” she shouted, and began walking toward him. “How long have you been standing there?”

He hadn’t considered how creepy it might seem to just be looking at her without her knowing! He helplessly stammered his response.

“Uh— uh, m-maybe like, a minute? N-Not long! I wanted to give—”

Blaze finally reached him and threw her arms around his torso in a tight hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said into his chest.

Silver’s ears heated up before he tentatively returned her hug. He could count the number of times he had hugged someone in his life with his hands, so he was very bad at giving them. He didn’t really know how to return a hug he didn’t expect.

She disengaged and he began to analyze her face, looking for any signs of disappointment or anger, but found none.

“You aren’t mad at me?” Silver said quietly, worrying that pointing it out might remind her to be upset.

Her ears and shoulders drooped slightly.

“What?”

“Blaze... almost all our plants died. I _let_ them die. You leave for five seconds and—”

“Silver, _what_ are you talking about?” Now she sounded angry, but her ears hadn’t flattened against her head yet, which was a good sign. “I heard about everything from Sonic, there was a _global metal virus pandemic!_ I’m just happy there’s anything left at all!”

Silver felt the lump in his throat enlarge, and he suddenly felt like crying. He struggled to get his words out, and couldn’t look Blaze in the eyes anymore, choosing to stare at his feet instead.

“Well, yeah, but we worked so hard. _You_ worked so hard, and I threw all your help away. I’m such a moron...”

He felt Blaze’s forehead touch his, and he looked up. Their eyes were locked, and she stared at him closely. She moved her hands up and lightly rested them on his shoulders.

“I’m just happy you’re not hurt,” she whispered.

Without warning, tears began to flood down Silver’s face, and his lips trembled as he sniffled and whined.

“It meant a lot to me...” Silver whimpered, his voice cracking under the strain of crying. Blaze’s mouth curled into a sympathetic frown before she hugged him again, this time around his neck instead of under his arms.

“Shhh... It’s okay. I’ll miss it, too.”

“I thought you would be so mad at me,” he said into her neck. He was getting tears all over her clothes, but he let himself collapse into her despite his anxieties.

“Over this?” she asked with an incredulous tone. He just nodded, and she took a few moments to respond.

“We’re friends, right Silver?”

“Of course!”

“Am I someone who gets angry easily?”

“You get mad at the bad guys pretty quick, but you’re always nice to me an’ Cream and stuff.”

Blaze pulled away from their hug, which saddened Silver more than he expected. But when she smiled at him, he didn’t mind too much. “Then why would I get mad that the plants died while you were saving the world?”

He sniffed and looked down again, realizing how silly his reaction was. “I dunno... I got really sad when I saw all this. I figured... no, I was just being dumb. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Silver,” she said softly, rubbing his tears away. He began to feel embarrassed that she was touching him so intimately. She was normally a bit distant, not really initiating or relishing in any sort of physical contact.

“Your coat,” he pointed out, “I got it all... gross.”

“I don’t care,” she put plainly, without even looking at it. She glanced at his backpack and hyacinth. “What new plants did you get?”

Silver was happy that the topic was shifting away from his emotional ineptitude.

“Oh uh, that one there,” he cleared his throat, “in the pot is a hyacinth. The shopkeep told me that fall was a good time to plant them, and I think it’s really pretty.”

Blaze picked up the pot and closely examined the small flowers. “It’s beautiful.”

“And I got a ton of seeds in the bag, too. I thought some tomatoes would be great to add to some pasta.”

“Tomatoes?” Blaze asked with an eyebrow raised. “Did you shop hungry?”

He chuckled. “Heh, you got me. I think growing your own food is really cool. Plus, money’s hard to come by since I don’t really want to get a job in the past. I’m not gonna need the money when I go back.”

Blaze just hummed in response and read the bags in the backpack. “Some of these shouldn’t be planted until after winter. How long do you think it’s gonna take to save your future?”

“I don’t know. I’ve helped Sonic out plenty of times now, and things are still all screwy. I’m a little disappointed, but on the bright side I get to spend more time with you guys.” Blaze let out a chuckle in response.

“Hm?” Silver hummed back, picking up the bag and guiding them to the shed.

“Oh nothing, you just said “you guys.””

“That’s funny?”

“Only to me. I feel that way about you and Sonic’s crew. There’s me in my world and then “you guys” in Sonic’s. You fit in with them well.”

“You think so?”

“I do. You talk easily with them and you have their...” she trailed off, searching for the right word as Silver opened the door to the shed. “...gumption.”

“Now _that’s_ funny. I always thought you fit in better.”

“How’s that?”

“You just have this air of confidence that matches all of them. Sonic, Knuckles, the Chaotix, even Shadow and Rouge. You’re all so sure of your abilities and you have this aura of cool about you. Me, I’m always worrying, and it’s kinda hard to feel like I’m making a difference when my future’s always—”

Blaze put down the hyacinth and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to kill the mood.”

“That’s okay, I just don’t like hearing you talk about yourself like that.”

“Ah, gotcha,” Silver felt his ears wilt.

“I’m flattered you think of me that way though,” Blaze focused on his compliment rather than his self deprecation. “Truthfully, I keep quiet because I often don’t know what to say.”

“No way.”

“It’s true.” She looked like she wanted to say something else, but Silver didn’t push her.

“Huh. You always just seemed like you were naturally cool like that.”

“You’d be surprised. I suspect Shadow suffers the same as I do. But you didn’t hear that from me,” she added quickly.

Silver “zipped” his mouth shut and winked, earning a small laugh from his friend. It made his heart swell.

“Well,” she continued. “Shall we get to work?”

“Let’s,” Silver said back, handing Blaze her gardening hat.

* * *

It was hard work, but that’s what made it rewarding. When they took a second look at the garden, Blaze made more removals. Silver tried to argue a case for keeping them, but she explained how some of them were simply too far gone. She didn’t like tossing out the plants any more than he did, but she wanted new plants growing as soon as possible to replace the losses they suffered.

Before they knew it, the sun was setting. It was so easy for Blaze to get lost in yard work. Part of her princessly studies included knowing how to care for plants, but she never really got a chance to put it into practice since the castle groundskeepers normally took care of it. Plus, it was nice to spend some time with Silver.

She was very proud of herself for cheering him up. While he cried on her shoulder, she was deathly afraid that her words and affection wouldn’t be enough to lift his spirits. Especially the hug, which she was sure she had botched. But he genuinely seemed happier now, punctuating their work with little quips or questions. Once she heard him quietly talking to a suffering daisy so quietly he probably thought she couldn’t hear him. But she could hear him, and he was speaking so adorably to it, asking it what it needed and if it wanted this or that as if it could respond. It was adorable.

As Blaze put away her gloves, Silver opened the door for them.

“So I never asked, but what brought you back? Or are you just visiting?”

“Same as ever, the Sol Emeralds guided me here. It wasn’t a hasty call, so I figured I could take my time and visit you before I started investigating anything.”

“Ah, gotcha,” he said, closing the door behind them after she stepped outside. “You ever come by just to visit?”

“I could, but I have a duty to my people. I cannot rule away from my home.”

Silver frowned. “When I save the future, I’m still gonna visit every now and then. You can take a vacation once in a blue moon.”

“Tempting, but nowadays the Sol Emeralds tell me to visit so often that I feel I must stay in my realm as often as I can.”

Silver chuckled. “Yeah, these guys can’t stay out of trouble. Hey, wanna grab a bite to eat? My treat.”

“I’d love that. I haven’t eaten since I left home.” She thought about what he said for a second. “And it’s gonna have to be your treat, I don’t carry your currency on me.”

“Ain’t that the truth. When I first came here, Tails had to spot me so often. I’m still paying the little guy off!”

She loved listening to him just talk about all the things he’d done with Sonic and his friends. He was so animated about it, emoting wildly and waving his arms around. He was always light on the details of his future, but it sounded awful. Knowing he had friends and was enjoying himself made her happy.

“Anyway, I was thinking of a nice Indian joint Amy showed me about. The curry’s sadly not that great but the pilaf is to die for. What do you say?”

“Sounds wonderful. To town, then?”

Silver puffed out his chest. “To town!”

* * *

The restaurant was a lot louder than Blaze thought it would. They seated themselves, and a very tall and pretty swan took their orders. She took his recommendation of the chicken pilaf (extra meat; she could only handle so much non-meat foods), while Silver dared to try what he said was his third go at the curry.

“I really love curry, so I want to get it when I come here. Hopefully one of these days I’ll pick a curry dish here that’s good.”

“That’s pretty silly. If you know you like the pilaf, you should get that.”

“What can I say? I’m a hopeful guy. Besides, if it’s really that bad I can just nab a few bits of your food.”

Blaze snickered. “You can try. You’re treating me, but I’m very swift to defend my meal.” She bared her teeth at him and summoned small flames to obscure her eyes for effect.

“How can you defend... _from nothing?”_ he said dramatically, using his powers to bring her silverware over to his side of the table. She deftly snatched the fork and knife from the air, but the spoon managed to make its way into his open hand.

“That’s bad table manners.” She tried not to sound like a sore loser.

“Maybe, but so’s burning up the table.”

“Touché.”

The waitress came back with their glasses of water, saving Blaze from the shame of defeat. Silver downed two thirds of his glass with just a few chugs. Blaze also drank her water quickly, if with a little more finesse.

“We should probably get some refillable water bottles or something for the garden.”

“Agreed. It can take a lot out of you.”

Silver was about to gulp down the last of his water when they heard someone yell for them over the busy restaurant noise.

“Hey! Blaze, Silver! Over here!”

Silver looked around, frantically searching for who was calling, but Blaze spotted her right away. Amy made her way over to their table.

“Oh hey Amy!” Silver yelled back, waving enthusiastically after locating her.

“Blaze! It’s so good to see you!” she said with a grin on her face.

“It’s good to see you too Amy. I’m happy all of you are alright.”

An almost-grimace flashed across Amy’s face before her smile reappeared. “Thanks. It was a pretty rough ride.”

 _Maybe it’s too soon since the virus to mention it in casual conversation,_ Blaze surmised silently.

“You really meant it when you said you liked this place Silver,” Amy continued, probably to change the subject.

“Darn right. I’ve been here twice since you brought me.”

“Please, sit with us,” Blaze offered as she shifted down the bench of their booth.

“Oh, thank you,” Amy took the seat. “So what are you two up to down here? It’s not a very romantic spot for a date.”

Silver, who was drinking the last of his water, slammed his cup down onto the table and began coughing loudly, apparently inhaling some of his water by accident.

“Oh my—” Blaze started. Amy just started laughing loudly.

“W-W— _cough—_ We’re not— _cough cough—_ da— _cough—”_

“Please don’t try to talk, Silver,” Blaze said as she reached over the table.

“I was kidding, bud! But boy does that shade of red suits you! Is it ‘cuz you’re choking or is it...” she let the question hang in the air.

“Amy, _please,”_ Blaze begged, desperately trying to calm Silver down. The waitress returned to their table.

“Some more water?” she asked, clearly worried about Silver’s outburst.

“Please,” he croaked, sliding his glass closer to the edge of the table. She filled it and carefully watched Silver sip it.

“Would you like to add to your order?” the waitress asked Amy. Her nametag read “Sapphire;” she worked so well under pressure Blaze made sure to tell Silver to tip her nicely later.

“Oh yes, thank you, but on a separate check if you could?”

“Of course...”

As Amy ordered, Blaze focused on Silver, who was clearing his throat every chance he got.

 _“You okay?”_ she mouthed to him. He just offered a thumbs-up before turning away, still red in the face. Blaze had never seen Silver so flustered. But then, making a scene in a restaurant would embarrass her immensely, so she figured it was that.

“Perfect. Your orders should be done soon, okay?” Sapphire told Silver and Blaze. Blaze thanked her and apologized for the commotion.

“That was great,” Amy said, chuckling to herself. “Seriously though, you okay Silver?”

“Peachy,” he said before clearing his throat yet again.

“I’ll treat you guys to dessert since I gave you such a hard time, how’s that sound?”

“That would be lovely,” Blaze said before Silver could decline. Sometimes he was too nice for his own good, so she accepted for the both of them.

“That great, because I won’t eat dessert alone. It just doesn’t feel right.”

The rest of the conversation went smoothly, even if Silver had to clear his throat every sentence. Amy told them to start eating as soon as their food arrived; she didn’t want it to get cold on account of her late appearance. Silver sadly didn’t like his curry all that much, but he said it wasn’t as bad as the last one he got. Amy chided him for ordering their curry.

“You knew it wouldn’t be good!” she said in despair.

“But I really like curry!” he whined.

“Not _this_ curry. When will you learn?”

Blaze snatched a chunk of floating chicken that had begun to make its way to Silver.

“Your powers are magnificent, but not suited for stealth operations,” Blaze teased. She might have missed the escaping food were it not for the green-blue light that surrounded the objects under Silver’s control.

“But it doesn’t have any meat in it, Blaze! Please just a couple bites!”

“You knew it wouldn’t have any meat in it when you ordered it!”

Amy started laughing quietly next to her, covering her mouth to prevent any pilaf from falling out of her mouth.

“I’m dyin’ over here, Blaze,” he whined. She found herself surprisingly weak to this form of negotiation from Silver, and made a mental note to be more fortuitous in future arguments. But for tonight, she would indulge him, if only because of his unfortunate snafu when Amy showed up.

And also because he was treating her to dinner.

And _maybe_ because of how crushed she was to see him cry earlier today.

He accepted the chicken with gusto, and smothered it in the subpar curry.

“It’s the only way to make it taste good, even at the expense of good meat.”

“I regret sharing...” Blaze skulked, making a show by flicking her ears.

“I’ll promise not to order the curry again,” he crossed his heart with his fork, holding his hand in the air as if he were taking an oath.

“He said that the first time I brought him here,” Amy whispered to Blaze loud enough for him to hear.

“I was a different hedgehog then!” he cried. “I’ve been spurned too many times now, I’ve learned my ways!”

“We’ll have to see,” Blaze said smoothly, trying her best to contain her laughter.

The rest of the meal was quieter, as they ate their food faster to preserve its heat. Dessert was a small portion of ice cream for each of them, which Blaze and Silver were sure to thank Amy for multiple times.

“Don’t thank me yet. I still haven’t told you that I’m getting the tip for all of us, too.”

“What!?” Silver said a little too loudly. The noise of the restaurant had died down in the past few minutes, meaning his voice carried a little farther than he expected. He covered his mouth before continuing quietly.

“You don’t have to do that!”

“Silver, I know you don’t have too much money. Plus, my friend Barney told me you came into the nursery today and bought a ton of seeds and a potted plant.”

“You know Barney?” he said sadly, as if Barney had betrayed him by telling Amy he was in the store that day.

“I know a lot of people, and I know you can’t be swinging your wallet around as you please. Let me repay you for all the stuff you do to help out!”

Silver bit his lip, clearly embarrassed that Amy was being so cavalier about his financial situation. But as far as Blaze was concerned, he had every reason to not be rolling in money. She didn’t see why he should be ashamed.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Of course! We gotta give Sapphy a huge tip for how good she was when you thought you were a fish for a second,” she giggled as she retrieved her wallet.

“Ugh...” he groaned and placed his head on the table. Blaze thought he was being overly dramatic, but she thought it was funny too.

Blaze made small talk as the energy at the table died down again. When Sapphire returned to their table after running Amy’s card, she took her wallet out again and slapped a hefty sum on the table for the tip.

“I hate to dash right away, but I promised Cream I’d visit her tomorrow. I want to get to bed early so I can arrive early tomorrow.”

“How’s she doing?” Silver asked, perking up. Blaze silently wondered why he seemed invested in Cream’s well-being, but she was curious about the bunny as well, so she stayed quiet.

“She’s doing well. She moved back in recently and wants to change some things up at home, so I figured I’d help out.”

 _Moved back in?_ Blaze wanted to ask. _Isn’t she kind of young to be moving out?_ She saved her questions for another time, as they weren’t suited for goodbyes.

“That’s good to hear,” Silver said, sounding relieved. “Well, thanks for everything Amy. I don’t know how to repay you.”

“You already did with that display earlier, hon,” she flashed him a devilish smile and started walking away, blowing them a kiss. “Good night you two!”

“Thanks again, Amy. Let’s talk more,” Blaze said, waving at her. She began to worry about Cream, but from what it sounded like, she was doing alright now. Blaze chastised herself for missing out on a crisis.

* * *

“Dang, I’m stuffed,” Silver said, stretching as they exited the restaurant.

“Me too. And I didn’t even get to eat all my food.”

“Wha— Hey! I only had like three bites of chicken!” Silver said with a desperate expression.

“Calm down, I’m only joking!” she laughed. Around him, she didn’t have the instinct to suppress her emotions. They began walking to the train station.

“I’m never gonna hear the end of that, am I?” he said.

“Mmmmmm...” she made a show of putting her finger on her chin. “Maybe if you treat me to some food another time?”

“Sorry Blaze, but it’s gonna be Restoration cafeteria food from here on out. I don’t have the dough to take you out every night.”

“Then it sounds like you aren’t gonna hear the end of it,” she said, closing her eyes and walking ahead of him. Her tail swished about playfully, betraying the cool demeanor she was putting on.

“C’mon! Cut a guy some slack!” he hurried to keep up with her.

“I have set my terms and you may accept or deny them.”

“You are a cruel princess. Is this how you rule?”

“With an iron fist,” she said matter-of-factly. “Dinner dates are no exception.”

“Heheh, yeah...” he said awkwardly. She turned and faced him, not surprised to see him looking glum.

“I’m just kidding, Silver. If it really makes you feel bad I won’t bring it up again.”

“N-No! That’s not it! I know you don’t really mind if we can’t eat out all the time.”

“Then why do you look so down?”

“Uhh...” he said dumbly. His ears perked up and his eyes locked onto something behind her.

“That’s our train!” he yelled, picking the both of them up with his telekinesis and rocketing them onto the platform in record time. She yelped in surprise, but didn’t protest (even if the sudden change in altitude made her stomach drop).

They just barely made it onto the train, and rode their way to the little Restoration bunker that served as its base of operations for the time being. The ride was pleasant, and Silver was in good spirits so Blaze didn’t press him on his reaction to her earlier jokes. She assumed he was just telling her he was okay when he wasn’t, so she made a conscious decision not to tease him on his failure to drink the water tonight.

Once they arrived at their destination, Silver showed her to his little studio. It was really just a living room with a bedroom and bathroom, with some small pantry space and a refrigerator. He absolutely insisted she sleep in his bed, with him on the couch, which caused her no small amount of embarrassment. It just felt wrong for the host to sleep on his couch while she slept in his comfortable bed, but he was strangely resolute on the topic, so she conceded. It was only for one night anyway; they’d arrived too late in the night for the landlord to assign Blaze a room, so they’d simply do it tomorrow.

It had been a long day, but Blaze loved every moment of it. She thought about what Silver said when she told him she wouldn’t visit on her own accord. Seeing Cream and Silver whenever she wanted sounded amazing. Marine was excellent company, but the bond she shared with each friend was unique in its own way. She missed them all when she went home.

She fell asleep thinking it wouldn’t be so bad to come by without an occasion now and again.

**Author's Note:**

> yeah they cute, fite me


End file.
